Police snare 'most wanted' gang after they made a McDonald's pitstop for breakfast

TASTY: Cops were rubbing their hands in glee after gang they were tailing made a pitstop

Customers could not believe their eyes as armed police stormed the Arbroath, Scotland branch just hours after an ATM was stolen from a supermarket a few miles away.

After closely tailing the gang, marksmen unleashed a barrage of wax bullets on a white Mercedes — where the suspects where munching their breakfast — to flatten the wheels.

Within seconds armed officers surrounded the vehicle and dragged the suspects out to the floor as children watched on "with their faces pressed to the windows".

CASCADE

CAUGHT: Police swarmed the carpark and surrounding a white Mercedes

“I heard 'bang, bang, bang'”

Former soldier Scott Barber, 41

In scenes similar to a high octane Hollywood blockbuster, police overpowered the men and cuffed them.

Former soldier Scott Barber, 41, was with son Jay, 13, during the raid in the early hours of Friday (February 12).

He said: "We were sitting in the drive-through parking waiting for our food.

CASCADE

GRAB: A nearby Co-operative supermarket was left with a hole where the thieves nabbed the ATM

"There was a guy just walking about, looking out towards the sea. As soon as he got back into a white Mercedes, the police swooped.

"The police must have been watching them and waiting for the guy to get back in the car because as soon as he did, they pounced. I think they must have wanted to contain them.

"I heard 'bang, bang, bang' and it looked like paintball ammunition. There was a purple puff in the air."

The most notorious criminals of the world

Monday, 11th January 2016

From Al Capone to The Krays, here are the most notorious criminals of the world.

1 / 11

SG

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was a Colombian drug lord and trafficker. His cartel, at the height of his career, supplied an estimated 80% of the cocaine smuggled into the United States

A group of 20 children inside McDonald’s who witnessed the confrontation were said to be "excited" with their "faces pressed against the windows".

Police confirmed that the five men ware being questioned over a recent spate of hole-in-the wall thefts in northern Scotland.

It is understood that they were investigating a notorious gang that have been behind robberies across Scotland and northern England.

CASCADE

TARGET: Marksmen flattened the tyre wheels with wax bullets

A police statement read: "We can confirm that five men have been detained in relation to the theft of an ATM from a shop premises in the Barry Road area of Carnoustie.

"The incident occurred at around 4.30am on Friday and the men were detained by specialist officers at Westway Retail Park in Arbroath. As part of the operation, vehicle tyre deflation rounds were discharged directly into vehicle tyres.

"This is a recognised and practiced tactic which is used specifically to disable a vehicle and was deployed in order to reduce any potential wider impact to the public and to maximise their safety."